Eighteen-year-old Vidur Raghuraman made sure he wasn’t a one-trick pony.

In fact, the recent Chatham Glenwood High School graduate reinvented himself during the boys tennis season.

Raghuraman reigned as Central State Eight Conference and sectional singles champion last season before switching to doubles this season with partner Ryan Connor. The result was a 27-4 doubles record for the duo, and Raghuraman has been named The State Journal-Register’s CS8 Boys Tennis Player of the Year for the second straight time.

Before this season, Raghuraman and Connor were the 1-2 singles combo for the Titans. And for the tandem to make it work in doubles, they needed a special bond to compile such an impressive record.

“They had a lot of confidence in each other. They were thinkers out there and they believed in each other,” Glenwood coach Greg Piland said.

Successful formula

There was no doubt the duo had chemistry as the pair dominated the area by winning the CS8 and sectional doubles championships to advance to the state tournament.

Raghuraman’s steady play and leadership were the driving forces, while Connor upped his game to match his partner’s intensity as they added regular-season signature wins over duos from Barrington and Metamora.

The two revealed how far they had come when they took 9-16 seeds Jonah Philion and Miles Blim of Oak Park-River Forest to three sets in the third round of the championship bracket at state. Raghuraman and Connor, seeded 17-32, lost 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 and finished the tourney with a 2-2 record. Their other state loss was to Mitch Plys and Lawrence Hiquiana of Downers Grove South, 6-4, 7-6 (7) in the consolation’s fourth round. They lost twice to Champaign Central during the regular season.

“It was a tough one, gut-wrenching in the end there,” said Raghuraman of the loss to Oak Park-River Forest, which finished with five state wins. “They hit some timely shots that we couldn’t do anything about.

“The fact that we were able to compete with kids that rolled us in the first set. . . it showed that we had the capability of playing against anyone. We were able to adapt and change things up on them a little bit. We were kind of winning ugly. It was disappointing that we couldn’t close it out in the end.”

Scrappy play

Raghuraman’s scrappy play has been his forte, and Connor has also been known to play that way during his career.

“Ryan and I were good enough athletes to adapt,” said Raghuraman, who also went 10-2 in singles. “As the season progressed, we were able to catch on. We had a couple of tough matches, but we were able to pick it up.”

Page 2 of 2 - Piland said, “They played stronger by the end the year. The matches they lost at state were both winnable. They didn’t get beat by anybody that just came up and trounced them, so they did very well. It was just a difference of them getting enough tough matches under their belt.”

The Titans will certainly miss their captain with Raghuraman heading to the University of Illinois in the fall to major in business. The realization of that certainly hit Piland as he got emotional after Glenwood’s third-round doubles loss to River Forest.

“I told them, ‘Don’t get used to this,’” said Piland, noting that he got choked up. “It’s like my own kids were out there.”

“He’s like a father figure,” Raghuraman said of Piland. “He teaches lessons beyond tennis. Not only is he a good coach, but he makes us better people at the same time.”

Player turns teacher

Washington Park still has Raghuraman for the moment while he teaches young players the game during the summer. According to Piland, Raghuraman is one of the kids’ favorite young teachers.

“They love him on the court, and he has fun,” Piland said. “When they see him having fun, they want to get out there, too. He’s got a lot of fire in him and everyone enjoys him. He’s got a great rapport with the kids.”

Raghuraman has really gotten into the coaching aspect and has enjoyed his summers at the park.

“Obviously, I get paid,” Raghuraman said, jokingly. “Yeah, I like seeing (the kids) grow and see them improve. To see them get better in front of my eyes, it makes me appreciate the game more. Playing is one thing, and coaching makes you understand the game a bit more.”

Whether Raghuraman will play tennis at U of I is unknown. He said he could walk on and maybe give it a try.

“I don’t think I can make the team, but I might be able to make the practice team,” he said. “I will play club tennis, though.”